Against the Clock: The Team Leader’s Pursuit of Glory

"Is this the right place? You said the call was cut off. Isn't it possible that the battery just died?"

"The outage alert rang immediately after the call was cut off. When it comes to bad news, I have a good intuition."

Certainly, Ju Se-ah had some perspective when it came to misfortune. Since her debut as a Hunter, she had not only encountered a 3-star monster known as a Reaper as a beginner Hunter but also had an encounter with a 4-star monster.

The average Hunter would hardly ever encounter an Irregular, a term used to describe rare monsters, but she had experienced it multiple times and hunted dozens of Unknowns.

As a result, Ju Se-ah held the highest number of monster registrations in the Korean Monster Index.

She even ranked third in the Guinness Book for the number of first-time hunts of Unknowns.

Considering that the first and second places were taken by industry veterans over forty, if you limit it to the past ten years since Ju Se-ah started as a Hunter, she would be the undisputed first place.

Having endured so many extreme battles from a young age, she had grown into a powerhouse comparable to an S-rank.

Perhaps 80% of what nurtured Ju Se-ah was misfortune.

"But that aside, why are we taking a helicopter during an outbreak? We can't even approach due to the 'mana storm' from the gate."

"We can fly higher to avoid the mana storm."

"How are we going to land?"

"Oh! It's already open? Wow, I've seen it a few times, but this is the first time I'm looking down at it from the sky?"

As Ju Se-ah innocently smiled, Jang Deuk-goo made a disgusted face. He shivered as he stared at the pillar of darkness bursting into the sky from the helicopter window. Even for a skilled Hunter, the ominousness of the gate never became familiar.

"Only you could look at that and say such things after what we've been through."

"If I get scared by that, it feels like I'm losing. I can't stand to lose to the gate, not even if I bear everything else. That goes for me, for you, and for that Team Leader Kang. We're all fighting to overcome that."

The helicopter flew close to the black mass emitted by the gate. The sky seemed calm from a distance, but as they approached, they were buffeted by turbulence. The mana storm emitted by the gate seemed to repel the advances of civilization, pushing the helicopter away.

The control panel in the cockpit was flashing red warning lights like mad. The pilot, startled, increased the altitude.

Even within the violently shaking fuselage, Ju Se-ah maintained her balance perfectly as she looked down below.

"Huh? Down there, isn't that Kang Mu-hyuk?"

"Yes, he is. Huh? But what's next to him... Isn't that the monster you captured a while ago? They look quite similar."

"Oh? You're right? Why is it out there again?"

"If we leave it like that, it seems like all the Hunters will die. What do you want to do? We can't land here."

"Did you ask knowing that?"

Ju Se-ah suddenly opened the helicopter door, took off her high heels, and leaned out. The wind disheveled her hair.

"Are you going as is, without equipment?"

"It's a monster I've already caught. I can handle this."

"But at least wear your 'Armor Coat'."

As Ju Se-ah took the black coat handed over by Jang Deuk-goo, she said, "Land the helicopter and arrive fast."

With that, Ju Se-ah took a dive. She quickly donned her freely flapping coat and plummeted straight down.

When the mana wind tried to push her off course, she wrapped her body in mana, fooling it into thinking she was part of it. Now, only gravity could affect her.

The moment she got out of the range of the mana wind's influence, she heard Kang Mu-hyuk's voice.

"Break the staff!"

Just before she hit the ground, she flipped herself over.

Thud!

'Ouch, my foot hurts. Barefoot is definitely painful.'

Ignoring the uncomfortable sensation on her soles under the gazes of onlookers, she looked at the monster.

"Was the staff its weak point? I didn't notice it last time because I just killed it outright."

"Ju Se-ah?!"

"This is the second time now. Don't think about getting off cheaply this time, Mr. Kang Mu-hyuk."

In Ju Se-ah's hand, the staff shattered.

With Ju Se-ah's arrival, all chaos had ended.

Not content with just eliminating the Oldster Sorcerer, she single-handedly wiped out the second wave of monsters that had emerged.

After seeing the guild that had arrived as backup form a defensive line, she crossed over to the gate. A little while later, she emerged covered in blood of various colors.

"I've taken care of most of the monsters near the gate. The core doesn't seem to have reached the entrance yet, so it shouldn't be too difficult to deal with the remaining monsters."

After explaining the situation to a government official in a calm voice as if she had just come back from a picnic, Ju Se-ah glanced around. Then, her eyes met with Kang Mu-hyuk, who was a little distant from the gate.

"Hey there, Mr. Kang Mu-hyuk."

As Ju Se-ah walked toward Kang Mu-hyuk, the Hunters and officials in between them parted ways.

Their expressions were directed not at Ju Se-ah, but at Kang Mu-hyuk.

'It's obvious what everyone is thinking.'

A Hunter that Ju Se-ah pretended to know. The gaze of those trying to figure out his skill level or his relationship with Ju Se-ah.

Once they realized that Kang Mu-hyuk was not a Hunter, they immediately started investigating which guild he worked for. There were also those who recognized Kang Mu-hyuk.

All of this happened even before Ju Se-ah approached Kang Mu-hyuk.

While the guild representatives were furiously brainstorming, the party members who were with Kang Mu-hyuk felt complicated for a different reason.

'She scattered the condensed mana with one hand. Is that even possible?'

'She fell from such a height and was fine. I wouldn't be able to claim myself to be tough anywhere.'

'She went into the gate alone in that state, even though she was wearing an Armor Coat, not regular armor, and she even wiped out the monsters? I can't tell who the real monster is.'

The Hunters who were intimidated by the overwhelming performance Ju Se-ah displayed.

Kang Mu-hyuk himself was also stunned by her display.

He had always thought that even an ordinary Hunter, or a non-Hunter civilian, could save people from monsters.

He felt as if all the plans, projects, and strategies he had established were collapsing.

Ju Se-ah's hunting was something more than just brutishly pushing through with strength.

There was a force in her that even the monsters seemed to fear, something he had not seen in the footage.

To Kang Mu-hyuk, it was a shock.

"I can understand now why the Guild Master, Vice Guild Master, and the Assault Team Leader didn't pay any attention to my plans. I had only heard about the hunting prowess of a top-tier Hunter; this is my first time seeing it up close. In front of such a Hunter, all tactics would be meaningless."

While Kang Mu-hyuk felt a sense of elation at the powerful Hunter, whose presence even the monsters feared, he also felt a suffocating sensation at the thought of his own career being negated by such a formidable force.

His head was hot, and he felt nauseous. His body shivered uncontrollably with emotions he couldn't suppress.

"Figures, you'd pass out while we were talking. So, what was that good thing you were going to do earlier? Hey! Kang Mu-hyuk!"

Suddenly, Kang Mu-hyuk collapsed. Ju Se-ah quickly rushed to support him.

"What's going on? Why are you so hot?"

His body was so hot it seemed as if he might be suffering from a burn. It was evident at a glance that this was not normal. Ju Se-ah quickly realized that his condition was related to the chronic illness.

"Mana Addiction... Damn it, why would someone sensitive to mana come to the gate that's spewing out mana?"

Ju Se-ah quickly scooped Kang Mu-hyuk into her arms and rushed to a nearby ambulance.

"Take us to Taesung Hospital. Hurry."

The medic, recognizing Ju Se-ah, didn't argue and immediately set off.

"You always faint every time I see you. This is the third time now… Do you even remember? Tch, you've always been reckless."

Ju Se-ah looked down at Kang Mu-hyuk's face in silence.

—---

"He's out of danger for now… But it seems like he was exposed to mana for a long time when the gate was opened. His body is in terrible shape. I can't promise he won't have another episode."

Hearing the doctor's words, Kang Chang-soo muttered as he looked at his sleeping son's face.

"Stupid kid. Did you think you were a Hunter? Can't you tell where you shouldn't meddle?"

The doctor watched Kang Chang-soo for a moment before quietly leaving the hospital room. Kang Chang-soo was left alone in the room, and he reached for a cigarette before remembering that he was in a hospital and putting it away.

"I didn’t do it because I was a Hunter."

"Weren’t you sleeping?"

"There were firefighters there too. Even ordinary office workers. How could a Strategy and Tactics Team Leader pretend not to know? It's embarrassing. Anyway, anyone who can fight monsters in any way should naturally take action."

"Do you want to reserve your own funeral date while you're at it? Is there some sort of discount if we book the funeral home in advance?"

"I've always felt this, but Dad, don't make jokes anywhere. You sound like someone who tested their sense of humor too."

Kang Chang-soo’s eyes twitched. His son had called him 'Dad' instead of using his name. Pretending not to notice, he retorted, "Oh, really? Hey! Didn’t your mom say she fell for my humor and that’s why she married me?"

"Mom was kind. If it was me, I would have dumped you right away."

"That’s why I'm your dad, not your husband."

"Stop joking around."

Looking like he had taken a big hit, Kang Chang-soo added, somewhat indignantly.

"Good Lord, don't you see? You take after me. Look at your stoic demeanor. You're a spitting image. And your jokes are as dry as mine. You can't escape your genes. That's the power of science. Ha ha ha!"

"It's because I resembled you so much that I couldn't quit this job. Just as you devoted yourself to research even at the expense of abandoning my mother... I couldn't feign ignorance while risking my life for this cause. But I believe, today, I saved at least a few lives. I'm certain of it. ...I must be better than my father, who clings to research that he barely understands, right?"

"..."

Kang Chang-soo once again reached for a cigarette. Then he put it away. He opened the window to relieve his frustration. The wind swept into the hospital room as if it had been waiting.

"I wanted to save someone, too."

Lying down, Kang Mu-hyuk turned his head to the side. His father was leaning against the window as the sun set, looking down at him.

"Do you want to live?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

"If you could live, what would you do?"

"Why ask something so clear? I'd hunt monsters."

"Even if you could live just a few more years? Would you still hunt monsters?"

"I could probably kill a few hundred more."

"Ah, this isn't why I conducted the research..."

"What are you saying?"

Kang Mu-hyuk saw a different expression on his father's face than usual.

'It's familiar...'

Suddenly, it overlapped with a scene from his past.

The day his father chose his research materials over his mother.

Kang Chang-soo approached Kang Mu-hyuk like a runaway motorcycle. He grabbed the bed railing as if to break it, shaking it as he spoke.

"Fine. I'll save you. I will save you. You may die, but I will let you live."

"Huh? What..."

"You have Mana Addiction. You recognized it, didn't you? It's everywhere."

"Yes."

"Do you have a cure?"

"..."

"There wasn't one, was there? Or even a place researching it. It would be the same anywhere in the world. One in a million. There's no money to be made in finding a cure. Where would they research such a disease? Aside from family."

"Family? Don't tell me..."

"I originally wanted to save your mother. But it was too late. So, let's save you instead. I will save you. I can't guarantee it 100%, but I will give it my all to save you. Whether you choose to fight those damned monsters or settle down. I will let you fight to your heart's content."